Dolphins Send Jets Into Spin

November 25, 1986|By Brian Schmitz of The Sentinel Staff

MIAMI — Perhaps the best explanation for the incredible happening Monday night in the Orange Bowl -- the Miami Dolphins 45, the New York Jets 3 -- is this: Maybe both teams had a game like that coming to them.

The Dolphins, uncharacteristically resembling also-rans this season, finally looked like a team coached by Don Shula in knocking the Jets off their high horse before 70,206 fans.

New York came into Miami with the best record in the NFL at 10-1, riding a nine-game winning streak since beating the Dolphins, 51-45, on Sept. 21 and talking Super Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

The Dolphins had good reason to talk about next season.

But Dan Marino threw four touchdown passes, and Lorenzo Hampton had the biggest day of his two-year career with 188 yards -- 148 rushing and 40 receiving -- to lead the shocking upset of the AFC East leaders.

Hampton scored on a 54-yard run and a 1-yard run and also caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Marino.

''We always felt we were better than what we showed,'' Shula said. ''We just never proved it before tonight.''

The Jets self-destructed early. Ken O'Brien, the NFL's leading passer, couldn't get untracked.

Miami (6-6) kept its slim hopes alive in the playoffs, rushing for a season-high 189 yards on 36 carries.

The roll the Jets were on ended at the hands of a frustrated Dolphins team that hadn't beaten a good team all season. It was deja vu for Miami: it stopped the Chicago Bears around the same time last year.

Miami put together its finest game of the year, but it was costly. Two starters -- wide receiver Mark Clayton and cornerback Paul Lankford -- sustained injuries that could sideline them the rest of the season. Clayton (separated shoulder) and Lankford (cracked tibia) are expected to be out six weeks.

The Jets, too, were banged up and played without defensive line stars Joe Klecko and Mark Gastineau. Marino and Hampton took advantage of that in leading Miami to a 28-0 halftime lead.

The Dolphins struck first, scoring in a most unusual manner -- a long run. Hampton broke through the Gastineau-less line for a 54-yard TD -- the Dolphins' longest TD run in six years.

The Jets then lost the ball on a fumble on their second series and on an interception, their third.

Miami went ahead, 14-0, on Hampton's 1-yard dive.

The Jets must have figured Murphy's Law was written with them in mind. On first-and-10 from the Miami 46, Marino's pass intended for Mark Duper should have been intercepted. But it bounced off cornerback Bobby Humphrey's fingertips and Duper came up with the rebound.

With 5 seconds left in the half, Marino's pass was intercepted in the end zone by safety Harry Hamilton. But the Jets were penalized for holding.

Eschewing the field goal, Marino hit Hampton with a 1-yard pass for a 21-0 lead.

Marino teamed with Nat Moore for a 22-yard touchdown to give Miami a 28-0 lead in the third. Fuad Reveiz added a 39-yard field goal and touchdown passes by Marino of 1 to Bruce Hardy and 22 to Nat Moore gave him 10 touchdown passes against New York this year.